The present technology relates to playback control apparatuses, playback control methods, and programs, and more specifically to a playback control apparatus, a playback control method, and a program which can provide new forms of entertainment by using the text-to-speech function.
In recent years, there has been an increase in the number of users who accumulate digitized audio data in sophisticated mobile phones (e.g., smartphones), tablet terminals, and the like and play the accumulated audio data to enjoy music while they are on the go or away from home.
Smartphones, tablet terminals, and the like also have a network connection function which allows the users to view desired web pages. However, this function is difficult to use in a situation where it is difficult to look at the screen, such as while moving.
Hitherto, a speech synthesis system (“text-to-speech” function) has been available which provides speech output of text information such as received emails and text on websites, e.g., news and weather information, by using a speech synthesis program (see, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Application Publication No. 2009-265279).